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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rest — a break
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rest — what's left
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mate — a partner
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bear — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com